Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings belongs to the Tolkien estate. The song lyrics belong to Dido.
Falling Leaves
They had gone into the woods together that day. Neither of them had spoken of it yet both new that this was the last time they would wander together through the carpets of gold and copper and red that came with autumn.
"You are thinking of leaving me, Legolas," whispered Aragorn in the elf's ear, as they stood beneath an old tree, nearly bare.
"The sea is calling me, Aragorn. It is a call that I will answer. I must go to the Undying Lands," replied the elf.
"I always knew you would leave someday. Will you not spend one last winter with me?"
"There is nothing left for me in Middle Earth."
The man's eye clouded over and years of blood and toil came to weigh more heavily on his shoulders. Legolas' words hurt him.
"Do I no longer have your love?"
The elf sighed. Leaving was going to be even harder than he had imagined. "The Lady Arwen must have your love. For you she has given her immortality. Let her gift not be in vain."
Aragorn sighed. "I am old. I look old; I feel old. Will you cast me aside like a discarded Lembas wrapper because I am old? Did you ever love me, Legolas?"
The elf's calm blue eyes momentarily filled with fire.
"You know I would have given up my immortality for just a day with you to call my own. Not Arwen's. Not Gondor's. Mine. How can you deny my love? You will die, Aragorn son of Arathorn, and I will live on, alone. Not even your death will stop my love for you. Do you think old age has quenched the fire of my love? Besides, you are still young, it is I who is old."
Aragorn bowed his head and mumbled an apology before leaving the elf standing amidst the fallen leaves.
Aragorn awoke to find the elf standing over him.
"When you sleep your cares and worries leave you," Legolas said softly.
"It is fifty years since I first saw you at Imladris and I thought you the fairest elf I had ever seen. I think I loved you even on that day," reflected Aragorn.
"But you were betrothed to Arwen." Legolas' blue eyes momentarily filled with tears and Aragorn thought this was strange. He had never seen Legolas cry.
"Where is Arwen?" asked Aragorn.
"She is standing on the city's outer wall, watching the sunset and she is troubled. Arwen thinks you no longer care for her."
Aragorn looked sad. "Of course I care for her. It's just-"
Legolas interrupted him. "We have had fifty years together Aragorn, you and I, you are King and the Ruling Ring is long since destroyed. Not all of our dreams can come true."
"Is this a dream?" asked Aragorn frankly.
"Yes and no. You are tired; go back to sleep."
Aragorn laughed despite himself at the elf's answer to his question and then obediently closed his eyes. In a few minutes he was asleep.
"Goodbye, Elessar," whispered Legolas Greenleaf, leaning down to gently kiss Aragorn's lips.
My lover's gone,
His boots no longer by my door,
He left at dawn,
and as I slept I felt him go,
Returns no more.
I will not watch the ocean,
My lover's gone,
No earthly ship will ever bring him home again
When Aragorn awoke for the second time that day, he knew Legolas had left. A search of his palace revealed Gimli had gone with him.
After breakfast Aragorn walked through his city and climbed the outer wall of Gondor to look out over his lands. He thought he could see two horsemen riding away in the distance but he might have been mistaken.
Arwen crept up behind him. He turned and looked into her eyes and smiled. She laughed and held him close to her.